THE QUICK FACTS

The Bridge House for Young Men

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  • Up to fifteen male participants, ages 17-23, coming from all over the US and other parts of the world
  • "La Casa Bridge" has 4 rooms, 5 bathrooms, in a spacious house up on a hill plus 2 independent apartments. Wifi, satellite TV, pool table, ping pong table, darts and plenty of outdoor space, gardens, basketball court, and trails
  • 8 staff work full time in the house, providing plenty of support in a variety of areas, as well as many other friends and mentors in the outer community
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La Casa Bridge

The Bridge House for Young Women

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  • Up to eight female participants, ages 17-23, coming from all over the US and other parts of the world​
  • The Bridge Campus for Young Women is a spacious house with a pool overlooking the countryside of Atenas.
  • 6 staff work full time in the house, providing plenty of support in a variety of areas, as well as many other friends and mentors in the outer community​

Life in Costa Rica & Cultural Immersion 

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They were so grateful for the littlest things. Costa Ricans are so good at that. They turn small things into big things.
Bridge Graduate
  • Year after year, Costa Rica is ranked at the very top as one of the happiest countries in the world. So, if you're looking to improve your happiness, here you can learn from the best. 
  • People are super welcoming, laid-back, highly educated and socially oriented. 
  • Costa Rica is one of the most bio-diverse places in the planet, and it's also one of the most stable economies in Latin America.  
  • Research has proven that immersing in other cultures leads to developing higher creativity, problem-solving abilities and integrative thinking. 
  • Our students have, time and again, stated that living abroad helped them let go of parts of themselves they wanted to leave behind, and get closer to the person they wanted to be. 
(The experience) helps you become more open minded to new experiences and new people. Being out of the comfort zone has become almost addicting! It's helped me meet new people and face all kinds of situations here in college.
Bridge Graduate 

Program Achievement Process 

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  1. Base: Start out focusing on developing goals and plans for the journey, learning Spanish basics, and engaging in service learning. Continue work on your high school diploma (if applicable).
  2. Climb: Start the internship(s) of your choice, or try a few to see what you enjoy. Take college classes, if you plan to go to school after graduating from The Bridge.    
  3. Summit: Finish your transition planning for the next step, go through your independent living experience and celebrate the completion of life's milestone toward adulthood!  
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Music Engineering Internship

General Schedule 

The independent living experience and the internship really prepared me for the life I'm living now: communicating well with people, taking care of myself, and living in an apartment by myself.
Bridge Graduate 
I keep a daily and weekly schedule. I use the same approach to budgeting you guys taught me. Everything I learned at The Bridge  I've transferred to my life now. 
​Bridge Graduate  


Mondays & Fridays: 
8am-12pm: sessions, tutoring, internship​ or classes
1-4pm: group projects and meetings 

Tuesdays, Wednesday, & Thursdays: 
Internships, classes, and/or community service

Saturdays:
Student organized recreational activity  

Sundays: 
Cultural Activity and/or Homestay 

Productive Time

General amount of productive hours per week: 40-48

General distribution of productive hours: 

  • 20+ internship, classes, and/or community service ​
  • 4+ exercise
  • 4 hrs. group projects 
  • 3 hrs. community meetings
  • 8 hrs. supported individual goal work, guided life skills and sessions
  • 2-4 hrs. leadership roles & community responsibilities (chores, cooking, etc.) 

Average weekly out-in-the-world hours: 40+


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community service